The appointment of an arch-federalist as the European Commission president risks creating a ‘dramatic’ backlash that will hasten Britain’s exit from the EU, one of the country’s most senior diplomats has warned.

A leaked document said Ivan Rogers, the UK’s permanent representative to the EU, believes the ‘die is cast’ in favour of Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg.

His proposed elevation to Europe’s top job has been fiercely opposed by David Cameron, who says Britain rejects the founding EU principle of ‘ever closer union’, which Mr Juncker supports.

Former Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, pictured, seems almost certain to be appointed president of the European Commission

But during a dinner with Herman van Rompuy, the head of the European Council, Mr Rogers apparently warned that ‘short of a complete U-turn’ by German leader Angela Merkel, Mr Juncker is on course to be appointed.

He said Europe was ‘sleepwalking into an institutional crisis’ and apparently suggested a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, which Mr Cameron has promised by 2017 if he remains in power, could be brought forward.

‘He warned that Mr Juncker’s appointment could accelerate a British referendum on leaving the EU and will completely change the political landscape’, a diplomatic source was quoted as saying.

‘Rogers warned that the appointment could lead to dramatic events in July and that it should be a priority for the EU to avoid such a train crash.’

David Cameron, left, has failed to convince German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, to block Mr Juncker's appointment to the top EU post

British officials fear Mrs Merkel may try and use a summit next week in Brussels to rush through Mr Juncker’s appointment, amid worries that relations between Britain and Germany will sour further if the row goes on for months.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who has been an ally of Mr Cameron in opposing Mr Juncker, suggested he was preparing to accept defeat.

‘I can imagine Juncker will get it, though we’re not there yet,’ he said.

Mr Rogers was said to have used the dinner in Brussels last Tuesday to warn that ‘allowing the European Parliament rather than national governments to appoint the commission president is unacceptable and takes the EU to a different place’.

The UK ‘would not accept the outcome of the process’, he said, since it would be political ‘dynamite’ that could push the British towards the exit door.

A British diplomat said the account of the dinner, also attended by officials representing other EU countries, was ‘exaggerated’.

‘Ivan Rogers was very clear about our views but some of it has got lost in translation,’ the source said.

‘The planned timing of a British referendum has not changed. The appointment of Jean-Claude Juncker might change the dynamic of the referendum but not the timing.’

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EU is 'sleepwalkign into a crisis' warns senior diplomat who believes appointment of arch-federalist as president will hasten Britain's exit